Peters has fond memories after decade at Northants

Tom Vickers

If you look up the word stalwart in the dictionary, you’ll find the definition of Stephen Peters.

Loyal, reliable and hard-working, the formidable opening batsman was a cornerstone of the Northants team for 10 years.

After a career that encompassed three counties - he also played for Essex and Worcestershire - 260 first-class games and more than 18,000 runs, the 36-year-old has decided it is time to put down his bat.

He had been considering it for some time and never wavered, until the day came to announce his decision.

“I knew it was the right time to finish until Friday when the press release went out and I had so many nice messages on Twitter and phone calls and various things,” Peters said. “That was quite an emotional day.

“It’s all very nice and it’s been great to be known as Pedro the cricketer over the last 20 years but it’s time to carve a niche in something else.

“I’m not 100 per cent sure what I’m going to do yet.

“I’ll be involved with the club until the end of the season, helping Rips (David Ripley) and any young lads if they want any help with their batting.

“There’s still a bit of time there to sort things out for the future.

“I’ve been involved with an insurance company over the past year or so and I need to have a chat with those guys, but there’s nothing concrete in terms of anything else.

“I’m just going to play it by ear until the end of the season.”

Alex Wakely, who took over from Peters as captain last year, labelled his club-mate a ‘legend’, while also joking that his banter was ‘horrible’ and his jokes ‘terrible’.

But he was a popular figure and one who helped Northants achieve big things, including skippering them to County Championship Division Two promotion in 2013.

“Hopefully I’ve been a popular guy around the dressing room,” Peters said.

“I’ve had a good 10 years at Northants and 20 years overall. I can’t really complain.

“If someone had said all those years ago when I first started playing that I’d have 20 first-class seasons I’d snap their hand off.

“It’s been a great time and a long time, but it’s the right time to finish really.

“It’s been the most enjoyable part of my career. I’ve loved every minute of it.

“It’s been the most successful period in my career.

“Opening the batting is not always the easiest of jobs but we carved out a secure top-order role there for the team.

“I’m pleased with the number of runs I scored for the club and 2013 was the pinnacle of that, being involved in the squad that had such a successful season there.

“I’ve got many fond memories.”

And Peters believes his club-mates can create plenty more in the seasons to come, with plenty of talented youngsters emerging at the County Ground.

“Add a couple more players here and there and with a couple more experience for some of those young players, they could turn into a good division one side,” he said.

“It is getting tougher and there’s work to be done, but all in all they’re in decent shape.”